1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cosmetic composition, and more specifically to a transparent or translucent cosmetic composition in the form of a gel or liquid, which spreads well, has good penetrability into minute parts of the skin, avoids an increase in viscosity even when additional water is mixed therein, gives users a pleasant feeling during use and is useful as a cleansing or massaging cream.
2. Description of the Background Art
There are a variety of cosmetic preparations, such as cleansing cosmetic preparations and massaging cosmetic preparations, which are used to remove dirt or makeup preparations by applying an oil component to the skin, spreading the oil on the skin, and removing the oil and dirt or makeup from the skin after the desired cleansing effect has been achieved. Such cosmetic preparations include those of an oil form, a cream of an oil-in-water type or water-in-oil type emulsion, or a gel of an oil-in-surfactant type emulsion. Many of these are commercially available.
However, these conventional cleansing and massaging cosmetic preparations containing an oil component have as a distinct disadvantage that they are sticky to the touch upon use and poor in storage stability.
In recent years, cleansing cosmetic preparations and massaging cosmetic preparations which have a liquid crystal structure due to the presence of a hydrophilic nonionic surfactant have been reported as one technique for curing this disadvantage (Japanese Patent Publication No. 53845/1989, corresponding to Mitsuno et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,625).
However, these preparations containing liquid crystal structures are disfavored because they are unfit for use while sweating or under wet conditions such as in a bathroom. The viscosity of these compositions tends to increase to unacceptable levels due to the mixing of water therein, causing poor spreading characteristics.
There has thus been a demand for development of a composition which spreads well upon application to the skin, is easy to use in massaging, is free from unacceptable increases in viscosity even when water is mixed therein, can be completely removed with water alone without the necessity of wiping the composition off prior to removal by water, is excellent in cleansing quality, is not sticky to the touch upon use, gives users a pleasant feeling upon use and can be used as a cleansing or massaging cosmetic preparation.